Making My Daughter Proud

What motivated you to get your GED? Ms. Lein’s story has hit home with me. I’m also married to an alcoholic, violent spouse. I have remained in this marriage, believing my options are few. I dropped out of school too many years ago to count. I’m in my fifties. We have a beautiful, intelligent child who is an honor student at a prestigious university. She has no knowledge of my secondary education history but never fails to tell me how proud she is of my ability to mentor her through tough academics. I plan to share with her my truth, but when I do, I want to present to her my GED to show her how anyone can pull through tough times and be a success.

How have your friends and family helped you? I will be the first to break the cycle of all my siblings. Only one has a GED. Watching my daughter walk across the stage and later hand me a Honors Diploma is my greatest inspiration.

What problems have you faced? Actually, I graduated from an accredited technical college that did not require a diploma or GED for admission. Real life experience was accepted along with passing the pre-admission exam. Math is somewhat of a challenge for me since I missed out on quite a bit. Fear of failing has caused procrastination but after visiting many websites, this one, with the promise of support like tutoring and so forth, has given me the courage to move forward.

What do you hope to gain from getting your GED? As mentioned above, I have some college and have been able to hold really good positions. However, it is a struggle to get beyond the “education” section on applications and during interviews. If it weren’t for my extensive work experience, I’m not sure I could even get a solid job. I want to achieve a 4-year degree, discover possible options not yet realized, and find the courage to free myself to the possibility of a better life. I owe this to my daughter.